Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has confirmed the expected timeline for a new social media ban for under-16s in the UK. During a press conference this morning (June 15), he announced that all children under the age of 16 will be prohibited from using social media, stating it was "clear to me that a full ban is the right choice."
Timeline for the ban
Following the announcement, journalists questioned the Prime Minister about the implementation schedule. Starmer responded: "We took powers earlier this year to make sure we could move at speed." He highlighted the lengthy process of the Online Safety Act, which took the previous government eight years from identifying the problem to passing legislation. "I was determined that will not happen in this case, so we took the powers early," he added.
The Prime Minister expressed hopes to pass the legislation "before Christmas" and bring the ban into force "in the early part of next year - probably about spring time." He acknowledged that parents would be relieved but eager for swift action, saying: "We're going to go at speed now. We've taken the preparatory measures to make sure that we could do that, precisely some months ago."
Public reaction
The announcement has drawn mixed reactions. One supporter wrote on X: "Starmer deserves credit for this one. Kids under 16 don’t need to be glued to social media all day. They need friends, sports, family time and a real childhood." Another said they "strongly support[ed] his view to ban SM for underage children."
However, critics have voiced opposition. One person commented: "Ridiculous. Parents are responsible for what their children do online & offline & any parent who needs the state to parent their kids in this way shouldn't b***** have kids at all."
The Prime Minister's move marks a significant step in UK online safety policy, with the government aiming to implement the ban rapidly.
